A day after sending four players to the AHL to suit up for Cleveland, the Blue Jackets have recalled four players for Saturday night’s contest against the Rangers. However, there are some different faces rejoining the team as defenseman David Jiricek and winger Trey-Fix Wolansky are both getting the nod, joining blueliner Marcus Bjork and winger Joona Luoto who were among those sent down Friday, per a team announcement.
Jiricek is the headliner among the group as the sixth overall pick has had a strong first season in North America. The 19-year-old has 38 points in 51 games with the Monsters and didn’t look out of place in a pair of NHL appearances earlier in the year. With Columbus only having four games left, he’s not in danger of burning the first season of his entry-level deal if he stays up with them for the final week of the season.
Fix-Wolansky was sent down last Saturday after missing a team meeting. The 23-year-old has been one of the top scorers at the AHL level this season, notching 28 goals with 41 assists in 57 games, good for fifth in the minors in scoring. Fix-Wolansky has seen action in seven games with the Blue Jackets so far this season but is still looking for his first point.
Bjork has been back and forth several times this season, effectively splitting the year between Columbus and Cleveland. At the NHL level, the 25-year-old has 11 points in 32 games while logging over 18 minutes a night, numbers that aren’t bad for someone in his first season in North America. Bjork’s numbers are similar with the Monsters as he has 13 points in 41 contests.
As for Luoto, he scored his first career NHL goal on Thursday which is his only point in 20 career appearances at the top level. The 25-year-old has been productive in Cleveland, however, tallying 14 goals and 11 assists in 44 contests. He returned to North America as an unrestricted free agent last summer and will once again be eligible to test the market in July.
More must-reads: